Friday, October 30, 2009

WRITER’S NOTE: Dear Reader, we just completed our sixth and final week of devotionals for Living a Balanced Life. Since the next series at Brookwood Church, Captivating the Wild Heart, is based on two books: Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge, we will not be sending out e-devotionals in November. Now, if neither of those are of interest, I read a great book last summer by Doug Fields called Refuel. It's basically Brother Lawrence meets the 21st Century. It's a great resource for spiritual growth.The daily e-devotionals will resume on Monday, November 30 with the Christmas series. In the meantime, I am taking a little blogcation. I may put up something now and then during the course of the next month. Between now and the Christmas series, Sam, our oldest, turns 8 years old. Then, there's Thanksgiving. Then, yours truly, the blogger, turns 45. How did that happen? There will be stories to tell...

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (NLT)

Self-help is over-rated. Seriously, how far can you take yourself? You already know everything that you know. What do you know that you can teach yourself? That’s just silly.

God is working on you. How does God work? He inspires with His creation (Romans 1). He speaks through your conscience (Romans 2). Every believer has God’s Spirit (Romans 8). He influences through other believers. He has given His book, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16). God arranges circumstances to speak to you. He has planned your purposes and your steps. He even uses difficult people and circumstances to direct or redirect you.

How is God working in your life today? Maybe something that you assumed was an obstacle is really a lesson from Him. Maybe the person you would rather avoid is God’s chisel to craft you into His image.

Life is not separate from spiritual growth. It’s easy to think, “Well, when I get past this situation, then I can focus on my spiritual growth.” What you are facing is a key component in your spiritual growth. That may sound discouraging or even impossible, but God is always at work around us.Notice how God is at work in your life today.

My baby girl just figured out how to climb out of her crib. When the boys made this discovery, they were exhilarated. No longer would they be captive to the wooden bars. They were in control. But, my baby girl freaked out.

I took the front rail off of the crib so she could easily get in and out of bed. She couldn’t handle it. She didn’t know what to do. In fact, she begged me, “Daddy, put the gate back on my crib.” So, I did. Her newfound freedom brought about a great deal of insecurity. This was too much change all at once.

How about you and me? There are changes that we need to make. This Living a Balanced Life series has pointed out some areas that we need to focus on. It’s easier just to stay the same. But there are compelling spiritual or social or health reasons for us to make some changes.

What we understand clearly is that it is going to take more than just us to change. We need to find someone who will encourage us and pray for us. We don’t really need accountability per se. Accountability is, well, accounting. It’s “keeping a record of wrongs.” Love doesn’t do that (1 Corinthians 13:5). We really don’t need someone to keep track of how many times we’ve failed. We need someone to encourage us to move forward. But, we need more than another person to make lasting changes. We need God.

According to this verse, God gives us “power, love and self-discipline.” As we commit each day to depend on God’s power, love and self-discipline, He will give us those things. When we are tested, and we will be, He is right there to help us.

Who are you looking to for help in making a change in your life? You need a connection with another person, and you need your connection with God. How is that going to look in your daily life?

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Romans 6:19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. (NLT)

Voluntary slavery is certainly an oxymoron. It’s right up there with a “necessary evil.” It seems that Paul could use a different analogy here. Yet, consider where he starts, “Because of the weakness of your human nature.” Human beings are designed to be loyal, to be committed to something or someone, even if it’s harmful to us, i.e. an over-referenced Bob Dylan song.

There are instances in Scripture where people did volunteer to enslave themselves to another (Exodus 21:5-6). After six years of service, a Hebrew slave had the opportunity to go free, yet could choose to remain as a slave. He would then become a slave for life. It’s very difficult to understand that circumstance. Why would someone choose to remain the possession of another when freedom is at hand? We’re not so different.

Paul writes that we are “slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which [lead] ever deeper into sin.” While these terms seem to be extreme, disobedience to God is, in fact, “lawlessness.” When we go against God’s way or find a substitute for God, we are practicing lawlessness. Pursuing our own way and depending on something or someone else for our security and well-being are indeed lawlessness, if not idolatry.

Impurity can mean immorality, but it can also indicate choosing against being set apart or holy for God. While God wants us to enjoy the lives He has given us, He never intended for us to live these lives solely to please ourselves. These behaviors enslave us.

Righteous living sounds like such an uptight term. It seems to imply staying on our guard so that others will think well of us. But, our righteousness is from Christ. Righteous living is life in Christ. Rather than focusing solely on our wants and needs, we focus on what it is that Christ is calling us to do. We allow Him to live His life through us.

What is getting in your way right now? What thoughts, desires or behaviors are keeping you from living the life that God intends? What step can you take today to do something about it?

Monday, October 26, 2009

1 Peter 1:13-16 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (NLT)

Back in the summer when I started writing the study guide for Living a Balanced Life, I put a shortcut on my computer desk top for the folder containing all of the files. So, every day when I started my computer, I had an icon labeled “Shortcut to a Balanced Life.” Wouldn’t that be nice? Just double click a button and poof, there it is: a balanced life.

You and I both know that there are no shortcuts to a balanced life. In fact, in this life, I’m not convinced that our pursuit is for peace and harmony. It’s nice to have times of peace and harmony, but honestly, those things only have a permanent place in Heaven. This verse says that our gracious salvation will be complete when Jesus is revealed to the world. The last phase of our salvation, called glorification, will be complete.

For now, we’re in a phase called sanctification. This is the working out of our salvation. As I’ve said other places, we don’t work for our salvation. Only Jesus can make us righteous (Romans 3:22; 3:20). We are working out our salvation. This passage talks about self-control and being holy. Holy doesn’t mean flawless or sinless. Holy means “to be set apart.” It’s our choice to be holy. When we are faced with moving forward in God’s purposes for us or moving backward to what we used to trust in, self-control and holiness prompt us to move forward. We choose to be set apart or holy.If holiness and self-control solely depended on us, we could muster up enough strength to make good choices for while. But, sooner or later, we run out of steam. Fortunately, Jesus gives us His supernatural power to do this work in us, if we let Him. It’s no coincidence that self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Sure, we can willfully decide and stubbornly persist to charge the hill of change. But, lasting change comes from above.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Galatians 6:4Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. (MSG)

Now that we have thought about the four areas of balance: our relationship with God, our relationship with others, our physical health, and our ability to gain wisdom, it’s time to focus in on one area and take action. What’s the area of improvement that stands out to you today? This is not a competition to try to become better than someone else. As we have studied God’s Word over the last few weeks, what has stood out as an area to focus on?

God has uniquely created each of us. He planned for us to have the gifts, talents, looks and disposition that we currently have. Even the four areas of wisdom, stature, favor with God and with people is going to look a little different on each of us. Ed Young, Jr. put it this way, “Don’t try to be someone else. You be you. Because if you aren’t, there’ll be a hole in history and a gap in God’s creative order.”[1]

Now that doesn’t mean that we should resign ourselves to the thought that what we are now is all that we will ever be. God has a plan for each of us. Taking the next step in finding God’s balance is part of what God has for each of us.What’s your area of focus? Go ahead and name it. Then, go back and review the lesson on that aspect of God’s balance for your life. What is your next step?

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Proverbs 10:8 & 12:15The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. (ESV)

A friend of mine is fond of saying, “All of us is smarter than any one of us.” That makes a lot of sense. I already know what I know. I don’t know all that you know. But, when we put our brains together, something amazing can happen.

Everywhere else in the Bible, we are instructed that it’s better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Here is a rare instance of God’s Word advising us to take in more than we give out. The more ideas, knowledge, advice and experience that we take in, the better opportunity we have to make good decisions and offer good advice to others.

The opposite of being wise is being a fool. That seems like a strong word. The dictionary doesn’t make “fool” sound any better: “a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgment or sense.”[1] Do your best to avoid turning your thoughts to fools you might know. The antidote for foolishness is found in these verses. The wise person receives instruction and listens to advice. The fool is right in his own eyes and babbles. Our challenge it seems is to shut up and listen up. We’ll seem wiser already.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (ESV)

Read this passage again from The Message:Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats.

Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. (Msg)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Matthew 7:24 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (ESV)

If you were raised in church, then not only did you witness the flannel graph presentation of this parable, you also learned the song. Now, it’s going to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.The simple principle here is that if we build on the right foundation, Christ’s teaching, then our foundation will be stable regardless of what peril might come our way. If we build on an unstable foundation, well, then our house goes “splat.”

Jesus says that the wise man “hears these words of mine and does them.” While we can certainly gain wisdom from all of Jesus’ words, He is specifically referring to the previous three chapters of Matthew that we know as “The Sermon on the Mount.” In this sermon, Jesus gives us wisdom on the Law, murder and hatred, adultery and lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation and redemption, love for our enemies, serving the poor, prayer, fasting, eternal investments, worry, judging others, salvation, consequences, discernment, and building wisely. If we hear what Jesus says AND do what He says, then we are like the wise man. If not, well, “splat.”

Take the next 10 minutes and read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29). What one principle of Christ’s wisdom stood out to you? What have you built on a solid foundation? What in your life is shifting in the sand?

Monday, October 19, 2009

Proverbs 28:26 Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe. (NLT)

Boy, this proverb seems pretty harsh. But, it bears a truth, as blunt as it is.If a person trusts in his own mind, essentially he is saying, “I know better than anyone else how to run my life.” It’s the epitome of self-centeredness. There is also a certain amount of implied pressure: if a person trusts only in his own mind, then he has to come up with all of the right answers.

The solution is to “walk in wisdom.” What does that mean? Solomon’s use of “walk” here is reminiscent of the Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked… but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1a, 2; ESV). Walking refers to living. As we go about our days, we should keep company with wisdom. The result is safety rather than folly. Now, I don’t believe that this proverb promises safety from all harm, but it certainly offers safety from unnecessary harm caused by our own foolishness.While some wisdom is learned, God’s wisdom is revealed in His Word. Just a glance at Psalm 139 shows the Psalmist’s regard to God’s wisdom. The first seven chapters of Proverbs shows the personification of wisdom and the importance of obtaining it.

Left to ourselves, we can get into all kinds of trouble. What are you relying on to get through your day today? Will your own smarts be sufficient? Where could you use God’s wisdom today?

Sunday, October 18, 2009

1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. (ESV)

You would think in this day and age with the use of so much media to spread the Gospel that the God’s wisdom wouldn’t be so secret any more. It is difficult to escape the Gospel. We can see and hear it on radio, television, web sites, email, twitter, facebook—it’s everywhere. Yet people still don’t get it.

The wisdom of this age says that it’s all up to us. We have to look at for number one. Do unto others before they do unto us…and the like.

The wisdom that comes from Christ says, “If you want to be first, you should put yourself in last place” (Matthew 20:16). “If you want to receive, first you have to give” (Luke 6:38). “If you are poor, then you can be truly rich.” It’s opposite world – at least compared to the wisdom of the age.The wisdom and rulers of this age are “doomed to pass away.” The fads and trends of today will be thrift store sales tomorrow. The “important” people today will be historical footnotes tomorrow. God’s wisdom, the Bible, stands forever. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35, NIV). God’s Word is more certain than the ground we stand on.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (NIV)As I read this verse, I thought of my friend, Dr. Mike Collins, who heads up our BrookwoodU Leadership Track. Mike has agreed to share his story with us today:

“All my life, as an athlete, a coach and a professor in health science, I have studied and worked to make my body the best physical machine that it could be. Even in my 50s and 60s, I continue to jog in 10K runs, half marathons plus play racquetball and tennis. My passion drove me to keep my body a Temple of God. In January of 2003, I was involved in an automobile accident that left me a quadriplegic with no feeling from the chest down and unable to move any part of my body.

“Over the next months and years, I learned what a balanced life was all about and understand the beauty of the physical body, the skills of doctors, nurses and physical therapist plus the love of friends who all performed as God's earthly angels. I also moved from a life of almost total independence to complete dependency on God and His Earthly Angels. I have found that true happiness came to me by releasing my control and allowing God to use his wondrous power. I appreciate life more, care about people more and most importantly my spiritual walk with God grows each day. God blesses me each day with a greater love for him as I learned to provide Him with more and more control of my life.” – Mike Collins

One day Mike along with the rest of us who belong to Jesus will gain a spiritual body in Heaven. Mike will dance and run like he hasn’t for a while. I will be able to eat what I want and not get fat. What a day that will be!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Proverbs 23:19-21 Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. (NIV)

Abstinence is easier than moderation. Growing up I was taught to completely avoid alcohol, but boy could we eat. It was acceptable to have indigestion. It was not acceptable to have a hangover. Drunkards were bad. Gluttons, well, that’s a very harsh way to describe a healthy appetite, right?Here’s what I see in this verse: the actual food and drink is not evil or bad. The problem comes with what we do with them. If I eat a big fatty meal for lunch and cannot function at work in the afternoon is that any worse than having a three martini lunch? I don’t recommend either.

Why do we overindulge? First of all, we like it. But, there can be too much of a good thing, especially when it affects our health, our relationships, and our performance. Outside of pleasure, there is a deeper issue. Why do we turn to “comfort food” rather than the “Comforter” (John 14:16)? It doesn’t have to be overindulging in food or drink. It could be overworking, over-exercising, over-entertaining, or any use of pornography. These things are easily available. It’s there when we need it.

God is there when we need Him too. As we turn our trust from things we can control to the God who is in control over all, we can approach food and drink and work and exercise and entertainment with moderation and put them in their proper place.

What do you go to when you’re stressed out? What do you tend to overdo? Next time you’re tempted to overindulge, stop and ask God to help with what’s eating you.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

1 Timothy 4:8-9 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (NIV)

Is exercise worthless? It’s easy to misunderstand what Paul is getting at here. It appears that he is saying, “Exercise is nice, but put your energy into what really matters.” That’s not what he’s saying.As we’ve pointed out in this series, we are whole beings. We are not just a bunch of parts: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, etc. The parts are interconnected and interrelated. We are the sum of these parts, and yet we are so much more.

This verse points to a place that some of us prefer not to go. If our physical discipline is down, it alerts us to the possibility of our overall discipline being down. What happens when we practice the discipline of fasting? We go without physical nourishment, and we are reminded that we can get by with far less of a lot of things: entertainment, careless words, busy work, and of course, food. The physical act of fasting relates to the non-physical parts of us.

Eugene Peterson in The Message puts it this way, “Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. “ 1 Timothy 4:8 (Msg)

Are you experiencing any spiritual flabbiness? Is that related to some physical flabbiness? You can take care of both by starting to prayer walk. Just walk around your neighborhood and silently pray for your neighbors. That’s just a suggestion. There are many ways to eliminate all of our “flabbiness.” Find what works best for you.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (NIV)

Most men would prefer to be a stud than a dud. But, not all of us are genetically predisposed to stud-hood. Sigh.

Several years ago in a men’s group, one of the guys told us that he developed a great sense of awe for God from an anatomy and physiology class. (In California, the natural follow-up question is: “What were you smokin’?” In South Carolina, we would just say, “Bless your heart.”). He explained about the intricacies of movement and function that allow our bodies to work. Any evolutionary process that might have developed the human body certainly would have been a miracle.

Eugene Peterson puts it this way in The Message:“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;you formed me in my mother's womb.I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!Body and soul, I am marvelously made!I worship in adoration—what a creation!You know me inside and out,you know every bone in my body;You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,how I was sculpted from nothing into something.Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;all the stages of my life were spread out before you,The days of my life all preparedbefore I'd even lived one day.” Psalm 139:13-16

Take a moment right now and praise God for the fact that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. What are three more things that you can thank God for about your body? Are you breathing? Start there.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

1 Corinthians 6:19-20Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (NIV)

My friend, Lance Witt, posted on twitter, “Your body is God’s temple, not His mega-church.” Ouch! I have certainly allowed for more “capacity” than the Spirit needs.

But, I am working on it based on this week’s lesson from the Living a Balanced Life study guide. In fact, at this writing, I have lost 10 pounds so far because of what I have learned in writing the study, from applying Kelly Frazier’s teaching on the small group DVD, and from hearing Rob Dempsey’s testimony of losing 140 pounds. If you need a study guide or DVD, contact the Brookwood Bookstore: brookwoodchurch.org/bookstore. (The price of the study guide just dropped to $2.99).

Before we start down the laundry list of what we shouldn’t smoke or drink or chew, we can find two greater principles in this passage. First of all, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price.” Believers do not belong to themselves. We belong to God. We cannot do whatever we want to do with our bodies without consequences. In fact, the Bible tells us, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” Romans 6:12 (NIV).

The second principle is that we are to honor God with our bodies. Paul goes on in Romans 6:13 to say, “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness” (NIV).

Are you honoring or dishonoring God with your body? What things do you need to start doing to honor God with your body? What things do you need to stop doing? What accountability do you need to change?

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Luke 16:9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. (NLT)

This is an unusual verse. Is Jesus instructing us to buy friends? Doesn’t He remember the parable of the Prodigal Son? After the prodigal’s money ran out, all of his friends left (Luke 15:11-32).

What does money mean to God? Money is a tool. Money doesn’t meet our needs. God meets our needs. God provides abilities, skills and opportunities, but He also blesses us in ways that we certainly don’t expect or deserve. Money is not the provider.

Jesus is instructing us to use our money to help other people. Rather than allowing money to win over our trust and possess us, Jesus says we should use money to help other people. One insight here: Jesus wants us to use our actual money in the bank, not our credit cards. The Bible instructs us in many places about the slavery of debt (Proverbs 22:7).

Generosity is the antidote to selfishness. Blessing others by helping those in need or celebrating someone we love puts our money on deposit in our “eternal home.” When a person dies, someone typically asks, “How much did he leave behind?” The reality is the deceased person left it all behind.

How can you bless someone else in a tangible way today? Take a friend to lunch. Pay for the lunch of the stranger behind you in the drive-thru. Buy a bag of groceries and put it on the doorstep of someone who just lost their job. How can you convert your money into eternal currency today?

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Acts 2:46-47 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. (NLT)

The early church met together a lot. They met at the temple every day. They met in homes. They shared meals together. Didn’t they have jobs? We know that they didn’t have cable TV or the internet. It seems like a lot of meetings. These weren’t formal meetings. They just hung out together. They did life together.

Look at the results of their getting together. They experienced great joy and generosity. They had “favor” with all of the people, and their fellowship grew every day.

Some of the most dynamic times of my life have been spent in close contact with other believers (outside of my office hours). There is something special about being with the people of God. What’s common between us resonates deep in our souls. It’s Christ Himself.

We have an enemy who wants to divide us up, cause us to doubt our faith, and heap condemnation on us. Jesus stated the devil’s job description: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” John 10:10 (NIV) and “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV). Being up against a challenger like that, we need our brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage and support us often.

What other believers do you regularly spend time with? You may not get together every day. Do you talk with them weekly? Monthly? If you don’t have other believers in your life, connect with a small group or invite someone to be your prayer partner. Who just came to mind? Ask them today.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Acts 2:44-45 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. (NLT)

My car died a few weeks ago. The mechanic called to say, “It would be better if you could stop by. I really can’t explain this over the phone.” I really wasn’t expecting any good news. The short of it was that the engine had beaten itself to death.

This wasn’t very good timing. My wife and I have been working hard for months now to get out of debt. Buying a new engine really didn’t fit in this plan. We’ve been following Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace teaching and knew that if we didn’t have the cash, we couldn’t do it. No more credit spending, even for necessary transportation.

There was one more source of funds I had yet to tap. If I could withdraw the funds, then I could buy the engine. It didn’t work out. I sat here at my desk and said, “God, I can’t make this work. I need your help.”

About an hour later, another believer who had loaned me a car told me, “You can keep that car if you need it.” Wow, I didn’t need to turn to the credit card “god.” The God of the universe provided through His Church and met my need.

What needs do you see today? How can God use you? What needs do you have today? How can He provide?

Monday, October 5, 2009

Acts 2:43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. (NLT)

When have you experienced a deep sense of awe?

I have experienced awe in God’s creation. Whether I was climbing to the top of Yosemite Falls, driving the California coast, or hiking the trails at Jones Gap, I get this strong sense that I am a very small part of something grand. I also experienced this listening to cellist Yo Yo Ma at the Peace Center playing a solo as an encore. The place was still except for the sounds coming from those four simple strings in the hands of a master.

There have been times of worship, when the cares of this world have finally evaporated away, and it seemed like there was nothing between me and God. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to get there. God is more than willing to meet me there, but I have to flee from the noise and the hurry of my life to meet Him.

Notice in this verse that the early church experienced awe, then they experienced miraculous signs and wonders. The church wasn’t enamored by the bells and whistles of their faith. They were enamored with God Himself. They were in awe.

As you go about your day today, pause just to remember that the Master and Creator of the Universe is right there with you. May your day be filled with a sense of awe.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Acts 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. (NLT)

“Devote” seems like a somewhat outdated word. In the musical Grease, Olivia Newton John sang “hopelessly devoted to you.” Maybe the word is a relic of the 1950’s? Maybe we are so busy and preoccupied today that we don’ t have the energy to “devote” ourselves anymore. Maybe everything seems so unreliable these days that we’d rather be tentative than devoted. It just seems safe that way.

The dictionary defines “devote” as “to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc.: to devote one's time to reading.” I’ve mentioned other places that balanced really has to do with focus. To concentrate on one thing is perhaps to give up something else.

How do we make sure that our spiritual life is on track? Now, I didn’t say perfectly in order. I don’t think that happens in this life. The early church devoted themselves to four things that helped them grow: God’s Word, fellowship, sharing meals and prayer.

For some to mention food and fellowship separately may seem a little confusing. Where I grew up, fellowship equaled “pot luck.” Christian fellowship or koinonia carries with it the idea of coming together in love, faith, and encouragement (Philippians 2:1-2).

What do you devote yourself to? How would you rate yourself in terms of connecting with other believers, studying the Word together, sharing meals together and praying?

Thursday, October 1, 2009

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (ESV)

Someone said a long time ago, that “if the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” The world provides a lot of distractions.

This verse talks about three key areas, that even Jesus was tempted in (Matthew 4): pleasure, prestige and possessions. The King James Version would call these, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” Regardless of what terms you use, these three worldly distractions surround us every day.

Just look at television advertising. Every ad draws on at least one of these desires for pleasure, prestige or possessions. Many car commercials lead you to believe that the right automobile will give you all three simultaneously. But, if these three were truly satisfying, then we would be satisfied.

What is at the top of your list? Are you chasing after things that are “passing away” or things that are eternal? One day the “new” will wear off of worldly things, then you will be chasing something else. God wants to give you what “abides forever.” Chase after Him.